Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Wisconsin Special Ed teacher Koren Jackson earns top state honors

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Koren Jackson, a high school Special Education teacher from Milwaukee, is one of five educators selected for their state’s top honors as Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. (Photo credit: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

I always enjoy sharing stories about excellent teachers who have been recognized for their work in the classroom. One of these is Koren Jackson, a high school Special Education teacher from Milwaukee, who is one of five educators who have earned their state’s honors as Wisconsin Teachers of the Year.

Koren has been employed at Milwaukee Transition High School in the Milwaukee Public School District since 1999. She works with post-expulsion or adjudicated students.To help her students succeed, Koren created a project-based curriculum which gives them multiple opportunities to earn credits towards graduation. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Koren does volunteer work for the Milwaukee Hunger Task Force and the Wisconsin Special Olympics.

Koren has earned other accolades in addition to her state’s top honors. She has been recognized as one of 86 stellar Wisconsin educators to earn a place in the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation’s Teacher Fellowship Program. The program honors and supports teaching excellence and innovation across the state. The honorees were selected by a diverse committee to represent voices, contexts, and perspectives as educational leaders throughout Wisconsin.

Koren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health at Carroll College in Milwaukee in 1996. She completed the requirements for her post-baccalaureate certification in Special Education (learning disabilities and emotional behavioral disabilities) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2002. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Special Education from Concordia University in 2012. In addition, in 2018, Koren earned an alternative education certification from Concordia University.

In addition to Koren, the other four who were selected as Wisconsin Teachers of the Year were Trisha Kilpin, Brooke Kintzle, Derrick Meyer, and Susan Richardson.

To learn more about Koren, see this link to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Alabama teacher Idella Jones Childs worked to better her community

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Alabama teacher and historian Idella Jones Childs worked tirelessly to improve her community. (Photo credit: Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame)

I believe that teachers are among the most dedicated individuals when it comes to their classroom communities, so it comes as no surprise to me that they are often among the most dedicated individuals when it comes to working towards improving society as a whole. This is certainly true of Idella Jones Childs, an elementary school teacher and historian from Alabama who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Idella was born on June 21, 1903, in Marion, Perry County, Alabama.  As a young woman, she attended Lincoln Normal School, a teacher-training college, where she earned her teaching credential. She later earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Alabama State University. For over 35 years, Idella taught history, social studies, biology, and algebra in segregated elementary schools in  her home town of Marion.

All her life, this amazing teacher was a tireless advocate for the equality and dignity of all people. During the Civil Rights Movement, she even volunteered her home in Marion to be a meeting place for activists.

Idella established the Perry County Arts and Humanities Council in 1982, and she became the first Chairwoman of the organization. The Council provided the disadvantaged children of the rural county with unique cultural experiences. For this work, President Jimmy Carter named her an honorary member of the National Commission on the International Year of the Child.

This was not the only work Idella did to improve her community. She also served on the Library Board and was a member of both the Retired Teachers Organization and the Association of University Women. In 1985, at the age of 79, Idella was appointed to served on the City Council in Marion. She was the first African American woman to serve on the Council. In 1988, she was re-elected to the position. That same year she was appointed to the Board of the Alabama Historical Commission.

For her work towards improving her community, Idella garnered many accolades. She earned an Unsung Heroes Award from NASA in 1993, during the agency’s commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002. In addition, every year, the Alabama Historical Commission’s Black Heritage Council bestows the Idella Childs Distinguished Service Award, which “recognizes people who have contributed to the preservation of African American historic places.”

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on August 8, 1998. She was 95 years old. Her memorial service was held at her alma mater, Lincoln Normal School. She was interred at Marion Cemetery on Lafayette Street.

To read more about Idella Jones Childs, see this entry from the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.

Covid-19 claims Kentucky school counselor Pamela Harris

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Beloved school counselor Pamela Harris of Fort Knox, Kentucky, passed away from Covid-19 on Sept. 15, 2020. (Photo credit: Facebook)

Sadly, Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Pamela Harris, a school counselor from Fort Knox, Kentucky, passed away from the disease on Sept. 15, 2020. She was 60 years old.

Pamela was a veteran of the United States Army. She had been employed as an teacher and school counselor by the US Department of Defense for several years. She worked at Fort Knox Middle/High School, which is located on the military base about 40 miles southwest of Louisville in Hardin County. Approximately 600 students from the seventh through twelfth grades are enrolled at the school. Pamela served students in grades nine and ten.

“Her kindness, energy, and love for her job, was seen daily as she greeted students, and co-workers, with a smile and an encouraging word,” remembered spokespersons in a Facebook post. “The joy she possessed in her heart spilled over on to everyone in the building and in the surrounding community,” the spokespersons continued in the post. “Ms. Harris was an amazing example of an Energetic, Dedicated, Educator and she always Exhibited Eagle Pride. We send our deepest condolences to all of her family, friends, and loved ones. Ms. Harris leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten,” the post concluded.

Fort Knox MIddle/High School Principal Lonnie R. Gilmore, Jr., agreed.  “Mrs. Harris dedicated many years to the Fort Knox Community in service as an Army veteran, teacher, and school counselor. She was also a beloved staff member who was known for lifting up others with her smile, encouraging words and jokes,” Gilmore expressed in an email.

To read more about the passing of this beloved educator, see this article published in the Courier Journal.

Charles D. Hayne: Teacher and South Carolina State Senator

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South Carolina teacher and politician Charles D. Hayne. Portrait painted by Janice Livingston of the Heritage Council of North Augusta.

Many classroom teachers have earned recognition in professions outside of the field of education. One of these was Charles D. Hayne, an educator who worked for the Freedman’s Bureau who also earned fame as a South Carolina State Senator.

Charles was born “a free person of color” in 1844 in Charleston, South Carolina. His father was white, and his mother was a free Black. Charles was the nephew of South Carolina politician Robert Y. Hayne. As a young man, Charles worked as a tailor in his native city of Charleston.

During the Civil War, Charles served in the Confederate Army and assisted in the defense of the city of Charleston. After the war was won by the North, the former tailor became the postmaster for the town of Aiken in Aiken County. He held that position from 1868 until 1880. Later, Charles gained employment as a teacher at the Freedmen’s Bureau. He was assigned to teach at a school in Barnwell County, South Carolina.

In 1868, Charles was elected as a delegate to the South Carolina Constitutional Convention. The same year, he was elected to his state’s House of Representatives on the Republican ticket. He was re-elected to the House in 1870. While in office, Charles also served on the Board of Directors for several corporations, including the railroad. Two years later, the former teacher was elected to the South Carolina State Senate, where he served for four years.

Charles D. Hayne passed away in 1913. He was 69 years old. To learn more about this educator and politician, see this link at Palmetto Bella Magazine.

Mercedes Munoz: Oregon’s 2019 State Teacher of the Year

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High School special education teacher Mercedes Munoz has been named Oregon’s 2019 State Teacher of the Year. (Photo credit: Oregon Public Broadcasting)

I enjoy sharing stories about educators who have been recognized for their dedication and hard work in the classroom. One of these is Mercedes Munoz, a high school special education teacher who was named Oregon’s 2019 State Teacher of the Year.

Mercedes says some of her students have come from a rough place, and grounding them in education is her primary goal. “To be an anchor in someone’s life, and to tell them that they can make it, and there are other moments to look forward to, that is a special joy that I get in teaching,” she declares.

The honored educator speaks from personal experience. As a teenager, she only needed a few more credits to graduate when she decided to drop out of Portland’s Benson High School. She was one of those kids, she conceded, who needed just a bit of encouragement to stay in school.

Eventually Mercedes did go back to school. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English/Language Arts from Portland State University in 2011. She earned her Master’s degree in Special Education and Teaching from the same university in 2013.

Once she graduated, Mercedes was hired to teach at Franklin High School in Portland. There she has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the special education “push-in model.” The model features close collaboration between the special education teacher and the general education teacher to maximize the student’s inclusion in general education classes. In addition to this work, Mercedes is a member of her school’s Equity Team, the Safety Committee, and the Poetry Slam Committee. She is also highly involved in the recruitment of historically under-served students in Franklin’s Advanced Placement Program.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this article published by Oregon Public Broadcasting.